Transmission and speed-changing mechanism.



No. 873,903. PATENTED DEC. 17, 1907.

E. SCHMIDT. TRANSMISSION AND SPEED CHANGING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OOT.28. 1905.

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E. SCHMIDT.

TRANSMISSIONAND SPEED CHANGING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED 0OT.28. 1905,

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EUGENE SCHMIDT, OF STILLWATER, MINNESOTA.

TRANSMISSION AND SPEE Specification of Letters Patent.

D-CHAN GIN G ME CHAN ISM.

Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed October 28, 1905. Serial No. 284.816.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, EUGENE SCHMIDT, a l citizen of the United States,residing at Stillwater, in the county of Washington and State ofMinnesota, have invented new and useful Transmission and Speed ChangingMechanism for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in transmission and speed changingmechanism for automobiles. Its primary object is to j produce simple,effective and improved mechanism which may be easily operated j andadjusted. 1

Further objects are to prevent loss of l power between the engine anddifferential gears, which are usually carried upon the frame, and toutilize the fly wheels on the engines as part of the transmissionmechamsm.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a detail plan of an automobile frame, showin my invention; Fig. 2is a detail horizonta section of part of the transmission and speedchanging mechanism; Fig. 3 is an end view, taken on the line :r-9c, ofFig; 2 Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views, partly in section, of thefriction clutch, and Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view, taken on theline yy, of Fig. 2.

In the drawings A represents the frame of an automobile, B the speedchanging mechanism, C the longitudinal drive shaft, D the differentialgearing and E the rear drive aXle to which the differential gearing isconnected.

Apair of gasolene engines 2 and 3 each carry an independent'shaft 4,respectively provided with fly wheels 5 and 6, which have oppositelyarranged frictional faces 7. Between these faces and in peripheralcontact therewith is a frictional drive wheel 8 j ournaled on a sleeve9, which is carried on the longitudinal drive shaft C. This sleeve, bythe use of a feather 10, is free to slide on the shaft 0 and is movedlongitudinally to adjust the frictional drive wheel radially upon thefriction faces of the fly wheels 5 and 6 by means of a collar 11 (whichis keyed'at 12 on said sleeve), a yoke 13 and a tubular rod 14 j (seeFig. 1) leading to any suitable operating j handle (not shown).

The engines 2 and 3, which are respectively secured to the frame A bymeans of bolts 15 passing through their bases 16, have against the theirshafts arranged in alinement, so that the frictional faces of the flywheels revolve in opposite vertical planes. Each of these fly wheels maybe adjusted to frictionally engage the drive wheel 8 by means of anadjusting nut 17 threaded on the neck 18 of the engine frame. Thethreads on the necks of the engines are respectively right and lefthand. A ball bearing 19 located between the inner end of the hub of thefly wheel and the adjacent face of the nut 17 receives the end thrustbetween these parts.

The adjusting mechanism for the fly wheels is similar on each engine,and the ordinals apply to corresponding parts on each adjusting device.The end of the shaft 4 is provided with a feather 20, and the hub of thefly Wheel which each shaft carries is free to slide on said feather.fastened on the nut 17 by means of pins 22 (see Fig. 6), which engagecorresponding recesses 23 in the perimeter of said nut. A series ofthese recesses is formed in the. nut, and the sectional ring may bechanged in position on the perimeter thereof in case of wear of theparts by loosening bolts 24 and separating the sections of the ring. Anoperating rod 25 is connected to the lever 26 on the sectional ring bymeans of a bolt 27 and may be moved and locked by a suitable handle orquadrant (not shown) to press and hold the A sectional ring 21 isfrictional faces of the fly wheel it carries perimeter of the frictionaldrive wheel 8. This adjustment of the fly wheels may be made wheneverthere is any indication of slip between them and the frictional drivewheel, and it is obvious that, by adjusting the pressure equally betweenthem, any strain or load on the horizontal shaft C is eliminated. Inthis manner the wear of the bearings on the horizontal shaft is reduced.

Other means than be used for adjusting of the engine shaft and lookingit in adjusted position, and I do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself to the use of the exact construction described.

To throw the drive shaft G into operation, a friction clutch F isconnected with the frictional drive wheel 8. This clutch consists of asectional annulus 28, which is arranged within a rim 29 on the side ofthe frictional drive wheel. This annulus is pivoted at 30 on a circularplate 31, which is keyed at 32 the fly wheel on the end' on the sleeve9. The adjacent ends of the annulus 28 are concave, as shown in Figs. 4and 5, and between them is arranged an elliptical shaft 33, which isjournaled on the late 31 and attached to an operating arm 34. The freeend of this operating arm carries an adjusting bolt 35, which rides uponthe perimeter of is revolving freely. To throw the clutch intooperation, a cone 36, which is free to slide on the sleeve 9, is movedbelow the bolt 35 and raises the free end of the arm 34. By this meansthe elliptical shaft 33 is turned from the position shown in Fig. 5toward the position shown in Fig. 4, and the annulus 28 expanded andcaused to frictionally engage the rim 29. The cone 36 is moved by meansof a yoke 37 carried by a rod 38 sliding through the tubular rod 14.

In operation the engines 2 and 3 revolve in opposite directions, andtheir fly wheels cause the frictional drive wheel to revolvecontinuously on the sleeve 9. To go ahead the sleeve 9 is movedbackwardly on the horizontal shaft by means of the tubular rod 14 untilthe frictional disk crosses the axis of the fly wheels and the cone 36is moved back by means of the rod 38 until the clutch engages the rim onthe frictional drive wheel. To increase the speed of operation, thetubular rod is moved back, thus increasing the distance from the axis ofthe fly wheels to the point of contact of the frictional drive wheel. Toreverse the direction in which the vehicle is caused to move, thefrictional drive wheel is returned into the position shown in Fig. 1, inwhich it appears on the opposite side of the aXis of the fly wheels. Theclutch is operated in the same manner when the frictional drive Wheel isin reversed position as when it is in go-ahead position. IVhen it isdesired to adjust the pressure between the perimeter of the frictionaldrive wheel and the fly Wheels the rods 25 are moved forward orbackward.

Having described my invention, what I the sleeve 9 when the clutch claimas new and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

1. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising a suitable frame,engines mounted upon said frame, a drive shaft andtransmittingimechanism, comprising fly wheels carried by said enginesand having frictional drive faces, a frictional drive wheel incontinuous peripheral contact with each of said faces, a sleevefeathered and free to slide on said shaft upon which sleeve saidfrictional drive wheel is journaled, a clutch between said sleeve andfrictional drive wheel, means for sliding said sleeve to move said drivewheel across the faces of said fly wheels, and means for throwing saidclutch into and out of operation.

2. In a friction gearing, with a driving shaft of mounted thereon; meansfor causing the sleeve to rotate in unison with the shaft, a frictiongear rotatively mounted on the sleeve, clutch mechanism mounted on thesleeve and adapted to engage with the friction gear, and a friction diskmounted on a countershaft and adapted to contact with said frictiongearing.

3. In a friction gearing, the combination with a driving shaft of asleeve slidably mounted thereon means for causing the sleeve to rotatein unison with the shaft, a friction gear rotatively mounted on thesleeve, clutch mechanism mounted on the sleeve and adapted to engagewith the friction gear, and friction disks mounted parallel to eachother on opposite'sides of said friction gear, and means for causing thesaid friction disks to bear against the periphery of said friction gear.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesse S EUGENE SCHMIDT. Witnesses E. M.BOESEL, W. H. WILLIAMS.

the combination a sleeve slidably

